Documentary short film depicting the harrowing battle between the U.S. Marines and the Japanese for control of the Pacific island of Tarawa.


This movie is part of the collection: Short Format Films

Director: Louis Hayward
Producer: Louis Hayward
Production Company: U.S. Government Office of War Information/Waner Bros.Picture
Sponsor: k-otic.com
Audio/Visual: sound, color
Keywords: WWII; war; documentary; Tarawa
Contact Information: www.k-otic.com

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Jilly9 - - February 18, 2012
Subject: different print
slightly different USMC print is here http://www.archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.37448

Reviewer: Bolex - - March 22, 2010
Subject: NPR interviews Marine Combat cameraman
NPR (npr.org) did a five minute interview with Norman Hatch, who filmed the 20 minute short documentary (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124631492) The documentary won an Academy Award for Short Documentary and required approval of FDR for release for public viewing in theaters.

Reviewer: billbarstad - - March 7, 2008
Subject: Watch it
Historically interesting and sobering

I downloaded the MPEG1 file. It didn't look very good.

Reviewer: Eagle5600 - - March 7, 2008
Subject: With the Marines at Tarawa
For its day this was a very revealing movie. Because it was shot "live" it is a must see for all students of WWII history, especially the Pacific theater. However, the movie doesn't begin to capture the true carnage and mayhem experienced during the three day battle on this atoll. Marines were mowed down as they waded the 500 to 800 yards from the reef to the beach in the face of interlocking fields of fire. LVTs that were able to climb over the reef were destroyed by the dozens. Every man who fought in this battle was hero whether they wanted to be one or not. Just the act of being there was heroic.

Reviewer: kimpunkrock - - February 6, 2007
Subject: Great film worth a look by all creatures on this earth.
With the Marines at Tarawa is a film shot by a soldier in the field. It covers the whole campaign. It is amazing to see the whole event as it happened. Many films on the subject come to mind while the narrator is speaking. Including The FIghting Seabees, Halls of Montezuma, Sands of Iwo Jima and many more. THis film should be watched by all to see the horrors of war. It is a great monument to the Marines that lost their life in that campaign. It is worth the 18 minutes of watching time.

Reviewer: jimelena - - October 24, 2006
Subject: You should see this one
This is the first war documentary made to involve the U.S. citizens in the war effort.
Before this the movies were sugar coated to avoid the horrors of war.
Here the dead mutilated bodies of GIs are shown.
It worked very well, war bond sells sky rocketed.